


A Grain of Time

by Golden_Sparks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21744019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Sparks/pseuds/Golden_Sparks
Summary: Hermione's trip through the floo network did not end where she expected. Or when.---This fic was written for Weasleys, Witches, & Writers Facebook group’s Flash Comp. My chosen main character is Bill Weasley, and the prompt for this Edition was "Common Room".
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Bill Weasley
Comments: 35
Kudos: 178
Collections: Weasleys Writing War - Flash Comp Edt 1





	A Grain of Time

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [WeasleysWitchesWriters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeasleysWitchesWriters/pseuds/WeasleysWitchesWriters) in the [Weasleys_Writing_War_Flash_Comp_Edt_1](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Weasleys_Writing_War_Flash_Comp_Edt_1) collection. 



> I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe. 
> 
> Many thanks to SelenaTerna, who betaed this fic and did an absolutely incredible job!

In a roar of golden flames, Hermione stumbled out of the common room fireplace and landed in a heap on the moth-eaten rug. Panting, she took inventory of her limbs and wits. 

This mad trip had been spinning out of control swiftly, and apparently brought her straight back to where she had started. She should have known better than to use that dubious floo powder. But the house elf had seemed so sincere in his desire to help…

“Who are you?”

She shrieked, expecting the room to be as empty as she had left it, only to find a steady hand holding a wand at the ready. Hermione looked up to see who had witnessed her embarrassing adventure. 

“Bill?!” 

He stared at her with wide eyes, wand not wavering, and with a start she realized this was not the Bill she had last seen in a hospital bed, his handsome face slashed beyond recognition. This Bill was young, not much older than herself, and he was wearing a Gryffindor school uniform. 

_Not_ where she had started, then.

“Do I know you?” His tone was suspicious.

“Yes.” She longed to be part of his world of wholeness, with no phoenix song soaking her body with grief and fear of things to come. But of course, it couldn’t be. 

“No.” She pushed herself up with a resigned sigh.

Bill observed her shrewdly, taking in her loose cravat, its red and gold fitting seamlessly into the color scheme of their surroundings. Suddenly he gasped, lowering his wand.

“You’re a... _time_ traveller,” he breathed in shock and she almost smiled. He had always been the smartest of the Weasley flock. 

“I… yes,” she admitted, letting him pull her to her feet. His hand was warm and she was reluctant to let go. 

She was _so_ cold.

“How did you know?”

He smiled. “Beside your uniform? Trade secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Suffice to say I _do_ know you, or _will _know you, and trust you.”__

__She blinked._ _

__"Why...” He took a deep breath. “People don’t travel farther than a few hours unless something terrible happens. Did it?”_ _

__Hermione didn’t answer._ _

__“Right.” Another breath. “Can I… help?”_ _

__She gasped at his unexpected kindness and suddenly, all of the anguish and self-doubt of the last days spilled over in a cascade of tears. Alarmed, Bill struggled for a response, eventually shrugging and pulling her into his arms._ _

__Hermione leaned her head against his chest and sobbed, defeated. Dumbledore was going to be buried tomorrow - her time - and Harry was coping badly, while Ron was frozen with fear._ _

__Supplying knowledge and equipment for the task ahead seemed to rest on her shoulders alone and she was terrified she would muck it up._ _

__Bill’s sincere offer of help meant more to her than he would ever know._ _

__The steady heartbeat under her ear eventually calmed her enough for her to pull her attention from the black vortex of her thoughts. Strong arms surrounded her like a warm cocoon and for the first time in days a sense of safety spread through her body. She breathed deeply, her nose snuggled into the soft wool of his jumper._ _

__“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m not usually one to cry all over people. It’s just all been a bit… _much_ , lately.”_ _

__He squeezed her shoulders for a moment, then tentatively loosened his hold._ _

__“What ...how can I… help?” he asked - bravely, she thought, considering the last minutes._ _

__“You can’t.” She smiled tiredly. “I… we… my friends and I... have to go on a mission and it will be dangerous. I have to make sure we take everything we need, that we’re ready for whatever might happen, but my mind is running everywhere at once and I’m so scared I’ll miss something crucial."_ _

__Hermione let go of Bill, her agitation forcing her to pace up and down on the rug._ _

__“That doesn’t even cover the problem of carrying everything,” she continued, gesticulating to illustrate the enormity of the problem. “I’ve _read_ about undetectable extension charms, of course, but I can’t find any proper explanation on how to actually perform the spell, and I’ve had no chance to practice and… and I’m running out of _time_.” Hermione groaned and pushed her hands into her hair._ _

__Bill, who had patiently listened to her rambling, stepped forwards and touched her arm._ _

__“Why don’t we sit down and work through your problems one by one? The way I see it, you have plenty of time right now and I have nowhere to be, until breakfast.”_ _

__

__"I can't believe I'm agreeing to you not sleeping on a school night.”_ _

__Bill chuckled. “It won’t be the first time I miss a bit of sleep.” He raised a ginger eyebrow at her and Hermione couldn’t help but blush. He really was incredibly handsome. “Besides,” he continued, “I sat my N.E.W.T.s last week. I’m only up this late because I got into the habit of studying at night and I can’t stop.”_ _

__He tugged her to take a seat at the table and stacked books and an unfinished letter neatly to the side to make space for their project._ _

__“Now, you’ll need a list first and then we can look for spells.” He frowned. “Do you know anything about wards?” He began to scribble and make sketches, but paused when he noticed Hermione wasn't listening._ _

__She watched him, red rimmed eyes soft, and put her hand on top of his. “Thank you,” she breathed sincerely._ _

__“Of course,” he smiled at her and his kind heart shone through so brightly, it lit a tiny fire in her soul. Still raw from her emotional outburst, Hermione basked in the affection taking root inside her, until she wished she could explore the tension that was slowly filling the air between them._ _

__Her rational side won out eventually - this was neither the time nor place - but when she bent over the parchment, she moved her chair a little closer, until she could feel the heat of his knee against hers._ _

__\----_ _

__Bill’s efficient approach soothed her frazzled nerves, and Hermione quickly found that she was back to her usual competent self as the busy cogs of their minds engaged beautifully with each other, firing idea after idea. It was so refreshing to work with a kindred spirit and not having to explain her thoughts and methods. Their shared imaginations threw open doors in her mind she hadn’t known existed and Hermione blossomed in the breeze of new possibilities._ _

__By the end of the night they were both exhausted, but glowing with satisfaction at what they had achieved. They were peering into an elegantly beaded bag in Hermione’s hand, freshly transfigured from an old shoe and imbued with an impeccable undetectable extension charm._ _

__“When it comes to books, second hand shops can be real treasure chests,” Bill remarked in praise for the tattered book that had held the secret to the charm._ _

__Hermione looked up at him with a bright smile. “I’ll keep it in mind.”_ _

__His face was closer than expected and she could feel their new formed connection tighten between them. In a flash of boldness, Hermione bridged the gap and brushed a chaste kiss to his lips._ _

__“I’ll find you on the other side. If you want,” she whispered, her voice cracking at the thought of her imminent departure. Her hand came up to brush over the side of his face where the scars would be._ _

__He smiled. “Maybe _I’ll_ find _you_.”_ _

__She fixed her gaze on him, eyes burning with curiosity. “What do you mean? And Bill, how did you know I was a time traveller? You should’ve stunned me the minute I arrived!”_ _

__He leaned his forehead against hers. “Because I saw the traces of my magic in you, Hermione.” At her gasp, he stole a brief kiss of his own. “I created a spell, earlier this year, a small spell of protection, and you were wearing it like a cloak. I know I haven’t put it there yet, which means I’ll put it there… _later_.”_ _

__“Oh,” she whispered, closing her eyes, enjoying this last moment of peace._ _

__And then it was time._ _

__All parchments safely stowed away in her bag, Hermione rummaged in her pocket for the jar of not-floo-powder. They embraced, tightly, briefly, then she shook the glittering powder into her hand._ _

__“Did you break a time turner?” Bill asked from beside her and suddenly she too recognized the material that had carried her through her third year at Hogwarts._ _

__“Something like that,” Hermione grinned and silently thanked the house elf who had found her despairing in the common room and gifted her with this brief escape_ _

__Smiling at Bill, she swiftly moved over to the fireplace, tossed the powder and stepped into the golden flames._ _


End file.
